Jessica Mauboy

Jessica Hilda Mauboy is an Australian R&B and pop singer, songwriter, and actress. In 2006, Mauboy was the runner-up on the fourth season of Australian Idol, she had auditioned for the talent show in Alice Springs, Northern Territory to pursue a recording career. Mauboy subsequently signed a contract with Sony Music Australia. In February 2007, she released her debut live album, The Journey, which debuted at number four on the ARIA Albums Chart and was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Later that year, she briefly became a member of the all-girl pop group Young Divas, before resuming her solo career early in 2008. Mauboy released her debut studio album, Been Waiting, in November 2008, which spawned her first number-one single, "Burn", as well as the top ten hits, "Running Back" and "Because". Been Waiting became the second highest-selling Australian album of 2009, and was certified double platinum. Her second studio album, Get 'Em Girls (2010), included the hit singles, "Saturday Night" and "Inescapable". Mauboy has received twelve ARIA Music Awards nominations, of which she has won one for 'Highest Selling Single' for "Running Back". With a combined album and single sales of 980,000, Mauboy is the third highest-selling Australian Idol contestant. In April 2013, she was ranked at number sixteen on Herald Sun's list of the "100 Greatest Australian Singers of All Time". Aside from her music career, Mauboy has also ventured into acting. She made her acting debut in the film adaptation of the 1990 Aboriginal musical, Bran Nue Dae, in 2010, and appeared in a guest role on the TV mini-series, Underbelly: Razor, the following year. In 2012, Mauboy starred in the critically acclaimed film, The Sapphires, which earned her the AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.